Fast 296bhp Passat on the way

• R36 on sale next summer
• 0-62mph in 5.6sec
• Expect to pay £28,000

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Volkswagen is getting a hot R36 version of the Passat ready for next summer.

The £28,000 R36 uses a 3.6-litre V6 engine developing 296bhp - enough for the Passat to cover the 0-62mph dash in 5.6sec. Top speed is electronically limited to at 155mph.

The R36 will be available in saloon and estate form, and will come with 4Motion four-wheel drive and DSG automatic gearbox as standard.

As on the Golf R32, there are plenty of visual tweaks to set the R36 apart. It gets special pearlescent blue paint, a matt chrome grille with R36 logo, bi-xenon headlights, 18-inch alloys and twin exhausts.

The saloon has a boot spoiler, and the estate a roof spoiler, while the bumpers are unique to the R36.

Inside there are sports seats front and back with R36 logos, a sporty leather steering wheel and aluminium highlights. The dials are illuminated in white rather than the VW's standard blue, and the pedals are covered in aluminium.